One January Morning
by Verthril
Summary: He jumped out of the car in just jeans and a T as if the cold didn't bother him, and sitting there bundled up against the it, Kitty waited for him to go rummaging for a coat that must have been pulled off not long into the drive.
1. Chapter 1

Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.

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It was the kind of early morning she loved, the kind where it was so easy to think you were the only person in the whole wide world. The school was still asleep behind her, and all the snow that had fallen in the night was untouched and wondrous. Warming her hands on a mug of tea, Kitty sat out on the front steps of the school that had become her world.

The school felt too big at times, there were too few of them, there were just too many empty rooms. The Professor said that was only a matter of time those times she had asked after a lesson, too few students to fill the classrooms. Lessons were often taught in his study, the den, and even the garage where Mister Summers tried to muster an interest of cars and bikes in them under the guise of shop class.

The sky was still dark, the stars beautiful, and the dawn a lifetime away. Enjoying a sip of her tea, she thought she heard a car off in the distance. Every time the lights crested the blind hill off in the distance she played a game of matching it up to her memory of the other times she'd been there to see the new faces on their first day at Xavier's. At thirteen she was one of the older kids, only Pete and John her peers.

Last week Jones had been one of the new faces, he spent a lot of time with Doctor Grey hovering over him, checking in to see how he was doing. Kitty joined in, making sure he always had plenty of juice and blankets so that he was comfortable. She always made sure there was a DVD or even a dusty old VHS for him to watch through the nights when it was mostly news and infomercials.

He'd been on so many kind of pills from some quack physician thinking to treat his insomnia never knowing the truth, doing more harm than good. Whoever said the invisible mutations were the best hadn't ever been drugged into a stupor, it was an eye opening moment in her young life. Ever since that moment she wanted to be there to greet the new faces.

The distant sound of road spray told of another car coming long before the darkness was lit by the headlights. It fit her memory of the nondescript chevy Mister Summers had left in, and as it slowed and the gates opened she knew it had to be him. Snow was crushed and squeaked in protest as the car pulled up the drive, the wipers lazily slapping now and again. The flakes that still fell melted against the warm windows, silhouettes hidden in the back seat for her to guess at.

With the car still running, the driver side door was thrown open and Scott slipped out to stretch and groan. She waved to him and he gave her a nod, he was weary and tired from his trip and looked happy to be home. The school was growing on her in that sense, there were still times she missed her old life, but too many painful memories painted it as something she had grown out of...the novelty worn and tarnished.

Eager as she was to help, she still remembered pulling up to the school and needing time to take it all in. It was just too big, too grand, just too much for her all at once. There was a boy in the back, he looked cute as he slept, stirred, and woke. Mister Summers crouched, hauling out a bundle of blankets and only as a leg spilled free did she realize it was a kid, one he cradled in his arms against the cold and still fast asleep.

"Bobby?" Scott called to the boy.

He looked like a Bobby, there was something honest and everyday about him, the kind of boy mothers wanted to see their little girls come home with, and just maybe Daddy wouldn't give him too much of a hard time. He jumped out of the car in just jeans and a T as if the cold didn't bother him, and sitting there bundled up against it, Kitty waited for him to go rummaging for a coat that must have been pulled off not long into the drive.

Instead he just looked up at the school as so many others before had, just standing there in the snow with his hands in his pockets unperturbed by the flakes that dusted his hair. Only as he looked to the doors did she see him blush and not from the cold, because that had to be what it was as her eyes met his, feeling her own cheeks burning. He smiled at her, and she was betrayed as she smiled right back at him, his was a face too honest for her to feign disinterest like all her friends told her to do...back when they still had been her friends.

"I'm Bobby...but you probably already figured that out..."

"Kitty."

Sipping her tea to hide her smile that just wouldn't go away, she watched as he gave a small wave before running to the trunk of the car. There was a ratty old knapsack, the likes of which weren't unheard of around the school. A few kids had been runaways just like John, she always tried to cut him a bit of slack, but he just had one of those oblivious personalities that didn't have an ounce of tact.

Bobby didn't look like a runaway, he also didn't look like he was into hot pink. He looked like the kind of guy who had the kind of duffle that had seen him through a camping trip one year, gathering dust until it was needed again. It turned out to be an army surplus rucksack, one he easily hefted over his shoulder without a care. The last thing pulled out of the trunk before it was slammed shut was a skateboard, and that just painted a whole new image of him, just a bit of a thrill seeker after all.

Slipping off her perch, Kitty helped Mister Summers with the door and had a peek at the kid in the blanket. She was a cutie for sure as she slept, maybe Chinese or somewhere there about, and if she said she was ten Kitty would have called her a liar. Mister Summers whispered a thank you as he left her alone with Bobby.

"Need a hand?" Kitty asked as she spun on her heel, catching Bobby climbing up the stairs looking like he was getting along just fine.

"I got this." It wasn't bravado or him showing off, just a truthful remark said without any thought put into it.

That the car was still running hinted that Mister Summers would be back after he got to tucking the kid on in for the night. So she shut the door and followed after Bobby, thinking she'd show him to the kitchen and see about getting him something to eat after being on the road for however long his trip had been.

"You skate?" Kitty asked, just looking to make a bit of small talk.

"Yeah, you?"

"Ice only." Kitty chuckled, she'd never been bold enough to try out skateboarding back in her old life.

"Me too." Bobby replied, and at her curious look he seemed to follow her train of thought, "Oh this isn't mine, it's hers."

It was a misunderstanding that came with a pleasant surprise, finding out Bobby and her shared a hobby. He looked impressed by the kitchen if his whistle was anything to go by, and just about as timid to go rummaging as she had her first week. It made her think of those kitchens she saw on cooking programs, all the bells and whistles that had her wanting to crack open a cookbook and try and imitate the art the chefs had made.

"It doubles as a classroom for Home Ec." Kitty mentioned, hoping to make it seem safe.

That was the nudge he needed to throw his rucksack down, but there was more care taken as he put the skateboard wheels down and set the knapsack right on top of it. She was smiling again and she didn't care if he caught her watching as he made a beeline for the fridge. He stood there gaping in indecision at everything inside, and she had to giggle that this was just one of the kitchens in the school.

"Don't be shy, help yourself." Kitty said as she walked up and had a look in the freezer.

She had some ice cream in there that she had made one class, with how small they were the lesson plans were more of a guideline than anything writ in stone. Turning her back on him as to let him be, and by the time she had her scoop of real, honest to goodness vanilla ice cream, he had a pile of meats and cheeses on the island. He was trying to decide over the nasty everyday kind of yellow mustard or Dijon.

Looking like he had a hankering for a sandwich, she found the leftovers of a day old loaf that had been made for class. Somewhere there had to be a TV chef waking up in a cold sweat, visions of the inelegant monstrosity made in such an fine kitchen, but that was just another thought that had her giggle as she watched Bobby enjoy every bite.

She overheard Mister Summers out in the hall, the front door opened and closed with a quiet click. Headlights flashed over the window and she could just hear the garage door rattle open, imagining him parking the chevy in among its more illustrious companions. The side door to the garage announced his return, listening to the rip of laces being torn free so he could get out of his boots.

"Could you show Bobby to a room when he's ready to hit the hay? We'll worry about something more permanent tomorrow." Scott said in passing, gathering up the kid's skateboard and knapsack.

Nodding in reply, what with her mouth busy from a spoonful of vanilla ice cream, Kitty wondered just where the girl had been tucked in for the night. Probably off in the teaches wing, close to Mister Summers in case she woke up feeling lost. She'd seen her share of homesickness in the tears of the younger kids, suffering bellyaches born from sobbing through the night in beds that weren't their own.

The first night away was always the worst, it got better with time, but there were still some nights she couldn't sleep. Nights spent wondering about all the if only that might have changed things, nights wondering just why her?

"Ready to play goldilocks?" Kitty asked, shrugging off the gloomy thoughts.

"Goldilocks?" Bobby asked with a laugh, one she liked, wiping away a bit of unruly mustard from his lips with a napkin.

"This one's too hard, this one's too soft, this one's just right. Lets find you a bed for the night. I saw Jean play that game with a couple of the younger kids to help them settle in, she said it gave them just the bit of control the needed or something like that."

"Sure, let me just wash this real quick and get a drink."

Kitty added polite to his qualities, or just maybe that was the kind of house he came from. That was a mix bag around the school, her own habit had been doing dishes while cooking, keeping her hands busy between peeking at the oven or seeing how something was doing on the stove. Of course now after a few Home Ec's with Missus Munroe, there were more than just fish fingers or grilled cheese cooking.

"Tap water? We have a ..." Kitty started, pointing to the water dispenser on the fridge.

A touch of mischief caught her eye, lost to his and that smile she liked. The glass frosted over, the water getting so cold that it looked like steam was rising from it. He handed it to her and fixed him another, and that first sip was ice cold. That explained why he had no coat, not even a sweater for the cold.

"Anything else?" Kitty asked, her interest long since piqued.

"Not yet, that's why I wanted to come here." His answer was eager and hopeful, he wasn't scared of what he could do and that was a nice change of pace.

John found out on his birthday, blowing at candles that wouldn't die. Jones had to be told he wasn't sick, that he was just different from most folks. And herself, she let her parents believe she had a habit of sleep walking when they found her down in the living room or even the basement one time. Even if she remembered falling through the floors after waking up from a nightmare, it wasn't something she could tell them.

She wanted to ask if his parents knew but couldn't, she had just met him maybe twenty minutes ago. All they had was ice skating, for now at least. There was always tomorrow. She showed him around the spare rooms, he even played Goldilocks for a few, but he found one at last.

"Goodnight." Kitty whispered, standing at the threshold.

"See you, uh...later today I guess? Think you could show me around some more?" Bobby asked as an afterthought.

"Uh, sure, I could do that." Kitty stammered, feeling foolish for getting flustered by an innocent question.

"Cool, it's a date."

He said it so offhand that she knew she shouldn't read too much into it, but closing the door and resting her back against it, she felt a goofy smile split her lips. Rushing through the halls and ghosting through her door because she couldn't trust herself not to slam it, she bounced into bed realizing there was no way she would be able to get back to sleep. It'd be a sleepless night born out of thinking about the tomorrow just a sunrise away, so different from her usual restless evenings.

But at least she had someone to keep company now, and only after she could trust she wasn't smiling like a fool did she go down to see what Jones was watching. After she got him a glass of grape juice of course, just like she knew he liked.

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A/N: I've always wanted to explore the first X-men movie before it happened, so I thought it'd be fun to do so through a bit of girl meets boy.


	2. Chapter 2

Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.

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"I'm supposed to be here!"

It was blurted out so defensively that Kitty figured the little cutie had a history of being places she wasn't supposed to be. Looking a heartbeat shy of bolting, Kitty hunkered down on her heels and put up her hands in admission of defeat, the cutie was the boss and that was that. It did the trick in a pinch, having a gander at the kitchen in that moment she had bought herself. Some cabinets still hung opened , looking ransacked and rummaged, all the food that was spread over the kitchen table the grab and go kind that hinted at a life on the run.

"What's your name?" Kitty asked, watching the girl tear open a fresh box of chewy granola bars.

"What's yours?"

If her scowl was meant to be menacing, Kitty had news for her. John had been the same way at first, guarded against getting hurt again, always keeping an eye for the door if it really did turn out too good to be true.

"Kitty. Can I show you something?" Names could wait, right now it was all about trying to earn some trust.

Even still it stung to see that kind of calculating look in the eyes of a girl younger than her, a girl she first laid eyes on bundled up in blankets and carried off by Mister Summers, looking innocent and sweet as she slept. Opening up a bottom cupboard that looked like it had been stocked with the be all and end all of boring, full of canned beans and three different kinds of rice, Kitty cheated in her search for something that was meant to be a secret.

"Pudding." Kitty revealed with a flourish, Miss Munroe's secret stash, snack sized and ready to enjoy.

Those calculating eyes were filled with the kind of longing that said she was sold, and so Kitty found a couple of spoons and joined her at the kitchen table. Pick, peel, and lick. It was a routine repeated throughout countless school lunchrooms, pudding cups a treat right up there with wagon wheels and twinkies.

"Jubilee."

"Huh?"

"I'm Jubilee..."

"Is that a nickname or..."

The scowl was back, right along with angry pursed lips that said she had suffered through this before. Turning the name over and looking at it from the memory of the sweet little girl she'd seen the night before, fast asleep in Mister Summers arm...

"Jujube?" Kitty asked.

"...what?"

"You gotta have a nickname don't you? I'm a Katherine myself but my mom always called me her pretty Kitty. Did your mom ever have a nickname like that for you?"

A horrid screech came with the chair being scooted back all too fast, the table shaking from the force behind the tiny arms pushing herself free. Jubilee was at the threshold of the kitchen before Kitty could even think to her feet, and by the time she caught up to where she had been she was gone.

"Crap..." Kitty hissed.

There was no use chasing after her, the sad truth was that the poor kid probably had too much practice running away. It'd be best to let her go and find some place she felt safe, just maybe someone else would have better luck, and it'd give her time to think up an apology. Pudding probably wouldn't cut it the next time. Looking back at the kitchen, someone had to clean up the mess so it might as well be her.

The school was waking as she straightened the shelves, adding a few things to the grocery list like pudding cups. She got a little helper out of Jones who came looking for a glass of juice, he didn't go asking questions, he was good that way. If she was in for a penny then it might as well be a pound, finishing off the last of Miss Munroe's secret pudding stash with him once the kitchen had been tidied up.

"You think anything good is on?"

A shrug was his answer, he was pretty easy going, cute in that kid brother kind of way or so too much television told her. A week had made a world of difference, she wondered what a month would do after all the pills he'd been on were just a bad memory. Part of her wanted to peck him on the cheek, but that just felt too forward and open to being mistaken for something else, so she settled for a hug.

"Anyone asks, I've gone for a walk, time to enjoy all that snow." Kitty whispered in the embrace, already people were getting used to ask Jones of the comings and goings that happened around the school.

Pulling on boots lined in fake fur and a jacket that matched, pockets were all her hands needed against the cold. Dazed and blinded as she met that new day, the sky was azure and land beneath dusted in billowy ivory, the horizon between a tangled line caught in the snow-laden boughs of the trees that ran unto the edge of her world.

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She liked to think it was her secret retreat, somewhere only she knew about that she could show someone someday. Kitty liked to think of it as a lake, even if she worried it was little more than a grand pond, but the thing that really drew her to it was the hint of winters past told in a pair of weathered ice skates hanging from a branch.

The blades were rusted red and the leather worn, the laces tied together between the pair forever more, the branch grown up around them. She wondered just whose they had been and why they had been forgotten, but to ask would dispel the magic, so she left it a mystery instead. It just made the place all the more special too her, made the school feel a bit more like home even if she had never once skated anywhere other than the indoor ice rinks all her life.

"Me too..." Kitty whispered, remembering the night before.

There had been some magic then too, the kind meant for the twilight times where the world was thin, dreams and the wakeful reality just a flutter of eyes away from another. She wished she could go back to when everything had been right, to see Jubilee as a cute kid who hadn't seen the kind of pain she obviously had, to dream of all the dates a cute boy had promised her.

"It's just a saying." Kitty cursed herself, reading too much into the offhand remark.

She was smarter than that, smart enough to know better, but something about Bobby made her...hopeful. It just rubbed off on her at the worst time, breaking one of those unwritten rules at the school, you don't go asking about someone's parents. All she had been trying to do was bond over the kind of names kids always teased about.

Sighing out of frustration at herself, maybe it wasn't a date but it was still a promise. She owed him a tour of the school so she might as well bite the bullet. Looking back the way she came, those footsteps were of a girl running away from her silly problems. A smile tugged at her lips as she took that first step back, finding a new path through the untouched snow.

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She found him in the kitchen fixing himself some breakfast, the problem was that he wasn't alone. She couldn't blame him for getting friendly with John, the resident pyromaniac was fine in small doses, kind of like rat poison or so she heard.

"Wow, someone had the munchies." John said with a whistle, having himself a rummage of the cupboards.

"Hey John?" Kitty called from the threshold, catching the attention of both boys.

He had a smile for her, the kind of smug smirk he got whenever she had to ask a favour from him. A flickering glance saw Bobby mixing up some pancakes, the just add water kind that was always on hand, and making a heck of a mess of the counter. John walked on up and she hated that he was taller than her, having him lean in so she could whisper her favour.

"Can you keep an eye out for the new girl, we...didn't hit it off. I think she's a runaway..."

All the humour drained from John's eyes, having another look at the cupboards that were cast in a new light. There was that redeeming quality that made her tolerate him, all his crude jokes and lame pick up lines from back when they'd been strangers.

"Drake right? You, me, the den later. I still owe you an ass kicking in some Halo."

Feeling a bit of reassurance from the gentle squeeze John gave her shoulder as he left, Kitty let go of the breath she had been holding and looked back to Bobby. There was a story told in the hand mixer splattered in batter, and the fact that he was favouring a whisk to mix with. Leaving him too it, she wandered off to the sink and found a cloth to start cleaning up his mess.

"I got that..." Bobby started.

"Just make me one and we'll call it even." Kitty offered, trying her best to appear aloof as he gave a nod with a small smile.

Digging out a cast iron skillet, pancakes always tasted better out of it, getting it ready on the gas range. Finding some plates, Kitty watched Bobby wash his dishes while the batter had a chance to rise. A spat of butter sizzled and hissed, the first batch thrown on and left to brown and bubble.

"Bon appetit." Bobby said as he plated a pancake.

"Merci."

Sure enough the aroma of their meal lured in a few stragglers looking for a free lunch, or breakfast as the case might be. The leftover batter was finished in short order, and as they finished theirs, they shared a look.

"You mix, I flip?" Bobby asked.

"Deal, and then maybe I'll show you around the school some." Kitty agreed, shooing away a few of the younger kids out to make a mess.

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"Whoa, now that's what a library is supposed to look like."

"I know right?" Kitty laughed, that had been her reaction when she had been given the tour.

Walking the stacks, she let him lead her along and look at it through fresh eyes. He lead them down through all the fantasy that filled the shelves, running a finger across the spines of so many stories she had yet to read herself. Hard covers brushed shoulders with paperbacks with dog eared pages, here and there forgotten bookmarks told of where a journey ended, waiting for the gauntlet to be picked up anew.

"It's just like any school, card in the back that you fill your name out in."

Taking up a book at random, Kitty flipped to the back and pulled the card out for show. A lot were empty, but some like the one she had picked had names she knew from peeking around at the photos that hung about the school, names she knew as teachers. Sometimes she'd just walk through the stacks pulling books at random, looking at that little card in the back to see who liked what.

Together they wandered for a spell, finally checking out a couple of books each. Carrying on and peeking into empty classrooms as they passed by, it wasn't a day for lessons.

"Why don't I show you the gym."

That had his attention and she wondered if he had played any sports back in his old life, back before he found out the cold didn't bother him. It was a question she'd let lie for now, find the right time to ask when it came around, nicknames had made her timid after being too bold.

The squawk of sneakers and echoing shouts told that someone had beaten them to the gym, but there was an unfamiliar noise in there too. Just as Bobby was about to barge on in though she recognized it at last, grabbing his arm and pulling him short, it was the sound of a skateboard. Her cheeks burned as she looked from her hand to his eyes to see a curious look in them.

"Um..." Kitty hummed, trying to find something to say.

For the first time she found his smile infuriating, he was enjoying all her suffering without knowing the story behind it. But as he threw an arm over her shoulders and walked her up to the door, her heart stopped and her breath couldn't be found. Cracking it open so they could peek in, Bobby leaned back and let her see inside.

It was John and Jubilee taking turns at the skateboard, and by the look of things John was hard pressed to keep up with a girl he had years on. This was the girl she'd seen in the blanket, the cutie who should be smiling and laughing, and just maybe showing off a bit. This was John proving he had some good qualities after all.

"Wanna come back later?" Bobby asked in a whisper, and Kitty could only nod.

It was only half way down the hall she realized he still had his arm around her shoulder, holding her near and close as they chatted about the school. She let herself enjoy it, enjoy the warmth that grew between them as they walked together. It wasn't anything she should read too much into, just a friendly gesture, even if a little devil was whispering in her ear an echo of words spoken but hours before..._it's a date_.

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	3. Chapter 3

Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.

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"Kitty!"

The squeaky squelch of winter boots carried down the hall, right along with the girl making all the noise, Theresa Cassidy herself. Snatching her up for a hug, Kitty caught her looking shyly at Bobby, so much like she had been doing herself.

"You know we got a mud room for a reason munchkin?"

"But Pete's being boring, he's just making snowmen that don't look like proper snowmen." Terri grumbled as if that was reason enough to be tracking snow on in and over the hardwood.

"And you want to do something fun, don't you?"

It was a question answered with an eager nod. Setting the girl down and giving her a playful kick to her bottom to send her back out into all the snow, Kitty looked after the still melting mess and heaved a sigh.

"The janitor closet wasn't exactly part of the tour I'm guessing?" Bobby asked with a laugh, earning himself a mop shoved into his chest.

"I was saving it for the end." Kitty joked, though only half in jest.

The truth was messes happened and someone had to clean them up, life at the school was about growing up fast while trying to hold onto all the right moments, like cleaning up after a six year old Irish lass looking for a couple of playmates.

"I didn't know it happened that young." Bobby said in a voice tinged with sadness.

"Terri? She hasn't, I mean, not yet anyways. She's, well she's kind of a legacy. Her dad went here way back when, but he can't be here for her right now."

Kitty wondered if it was the tone of her voice that had Bobby not ask after Terri's mom, or just maybe it was the sad smile she had when she thought of all the stories Terri told her about her Da who was missing his little girl grow up. A lot of them sounded like _hand me downs _told as bedtime stories when he could be there to tuck her in, like the time he learned how to fly.

"Something tells me there are some people keeping his seat warm until he gets back."

Thinking of the little girl waiting for them to join her, it was a wondrous thought to think she was growing up somewhere that she wouldn't be judged if she found out she was special or gifted. Leaning her mop against a wall, Kitty reached out for a hug that was freely given, leaving her glad to be reminded of all the good things in a little girl's life instead of all the sad moments. It was enough to give her the courage to face another girl who could probably use a few bright moments in her life.

"Why don't you go see if John's up for a snowball fight instead of some Halo?" Kitty asked, resting her chin against Bobby's chest so she could look up to his kind eyes.

"Sounds like my kind of fun."

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"Hey guys, Kitty's getting a bunch of us together for a snowball fight for Terri, you guys in?"

"Consider your ass kicked Drake!" John shouted, landing a trick he'd been trying to get down for the better part of a half hour.

It was only as the door to the gym slammed shut that he realized his mistake, turning to find Jubilee avoiding his gaze and holding her knapsack to her chest. All she had was the clothes on her back, her board, and everything important to her crammed inside a beat up school bag. He had his own one, it'd been a gym bag meant for sweaty shirts and stinking socks. It took him a long time to unpack, and even empty it was something he couldn't just throw away.

"I ever get to telling you that I'm from Australia?" John asked, trying to earn back a bit of trust one confession at a time.

Her shrug was old hat for him, a bit of a maybe hidden behind tight lips, just enough of a reply to get someone off your back if they were still waiting for an answer. Giving her board a kick, he sent it back to her. He remembered just how much it pissed him off to see Mister Summers holding his lighter hostage never even knowing how important it was to him.

"What I'm saying Hollywood is, how about you and a boy from Oz go show them how it's done?"

"Beverly Hills." Jubilee mumbled, her eyes blinking too fast as she fought tears with her lips looking on the verge of a pitiful pout.

"Lets just keep that our secret, I mean I got everyone thinking I'm from London. Fucking gits, oi, am I right?" John said with a forced accent, smirking down at her in another confession.

Her eyes fell with her shoulders, looking less tense but all the more sad in that moment. He didn't have to ask her why, he knew the answer, he had lived that very moment himself. It was a bit of pride and shame all mixed together in the stomach making it a tight and painful knot, and it didn't get any better admitting you needed a hand out because that bag could only hold so much. At least that was how it looked after living on the streets for too long, fending for yourself from one meal to the next.

"If you're up for helping me hand out an ass kicking, I think I know somewhere to get you geared up."

Slinging her knapsack over her shoulder and grabbing her board, she found her feet and followed after him. All it took to know he'd keep his end of the bargain were the photos that lined the halls, that and the fact that the Professor had a lot of attic space to keep stuff around until it was needed. It might not be the height fashion fit for Beverly Hills, but he figured Hollywood just might like it all the same.

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"I am the invincible Iceman! Your attacks do nothing!" Bobby roared as he took another snowball to his bare chest.

"Kitty, you cheated!" Terri rightly accused as her well packed missile passed through the ghostly girl she looked up to.

"Only because I had to dodge John throwing one right at my face!"

"It wasn't me, it was Hollywoo...!" John lied, struck by a bit of friendly fire from the girl he had tried to lay the blame at.

Snickering and laughing, Kitty watched Jubilee forget her former alliance and show what the price of betrayal was. Hiding her face as Jones was hit by an errant snowball, the game was quickly breaking down into a free for all, the pairs growing fewer and fewer as the game dragged on. Yet out of the chaos new pacts were being made, with some traps being laid.

"Bobby, look out!" Kitty shrieked with a sputtering giggle knowing it was already too late.

The self named Iceman looked up into the face of defeat to see Pete holding a huge snowball fit for a snowman over his head, tossing it as if it were nothing to bury the boy dressed in jeans and a loose fitting button up shirt left undone. But Pete wouldn't be Pete if he didn't offer a hand and help the boy from Long Island back onto his feet, any grudges forgiven.

"Okay, now it feels like I got sand down my pants." Bobby muttered, his one complaint as he squirmed around restlessly.

"Really?" Terri asked, incredulous in her disbelief.

"I guess the cold does bother you a bit after all." Kitty teased, treading on up through the snow that had become a battlefield.

Struck from behind and sent stumbling, Kitty found herself held against an all too bare chest, feeling a bit too warm suddenly in her winter wear. Blaming her blush on the cold, she found the strength to look away from Bobby to see two likely culprits in Jones and Jubilee.

"Okay, which one of you..." Kitty growled, proving she had some claws after all.

Neither would take the blame, both pointing to the other. Her cutie was scowling again, but this time it was at Jones in a way that said he was learning some bad habits from John. Taking another page from John's book, Jones knew when to run, fleeing from the twice betrayed girl. It was the only invitation Terri needed, the game turned to girls against boys after one lie too many had been told.

"Don't even think of it." Kitty said with a haughty sniff, daring either of the boys she was with to raise a single frosty flake against her.

"Yeah, I need a shower anyway. Tell me who wins okay?" Bobby asked, letting go of Kitty at last and heading back to the school.

Laughter, taunts, and jeers echoed across the estate, and standing there watching it all, Kitty felt an inkling of a reminder of home in it all. It was a reminder of the wars waged across her neighbourhood back when her world hadn't stretched much further than the next block and the one after it. Everything else was just some place on a map or in her imagination, pictures in the newspaper or far off places seen on the television.

"Katya?" Pete asked, drawing her from her reverie.

"Da?"

Maybe had she not been so distracted she would have noticed the tone of his voice, thinking instead that it just another of their impromptu lessons of the Russian language. Her earlier warning had fallen on deaf ears, shrieking from the ghastly chill that ran down her spine as a snowball was slipped past her shirt. Balling her fist and socking Pete as hard as she could, she chased after Bobby on his way back to the school. He wasn't alone in needing a shower, and just maybe a mug of hot chocolate.

"I'm telling Illyana about that!" Kitty spat over her shoulder.

His laughter was that of a beloved brother who couldn't do wrong in the eyes of his sister, one she had gotten to know through phone calls and letters. It was a reminder that they weren't all runaways or misfits, that some had loving homes waiting for them to return to. The school was there for all the rest who had nowhere else to go, all because one man had a dream he wanted to share with them.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-


End file.
